"Can Charlottesville singer-songwriters make a living in the file-sharing age?"

The article also features James Wilson of Sons of Bill, Sarah White, David Purcell, Carl Anderson, and Ellis Paul. (for Ashley's column, see page 4).

....Our cover story this week focuses on five people who are trying to make a living singing and playing their own songs. It began as an exploration of our town’s musical ambitions, and it could have taken any number of forms, focusing more on the industry side, like the band managers, digital marketing crews, venue operators, and software engineers who are coping with a publishing landscape turned upside down. It could have focused on the different types of music that flourish here, jazz for instance, or electronica. Or it could have focused on a different subset of singer-songwriters than the one I chose, because for a small town, there are many. It went the way it did because I got interested in a question. People who stand up on stage alone with a guitar have no one to blame for their failures, and these days, little reason to expect a reward, or even a living for their efforts. So why do they do it?

Ashley performs 3 songs, LIVE, in-studio with Rusty Speidel, Johnathan Chance, and Bahlmann Abbot on 106.1 The Corner's LIVE AND LOCAL show with Brad Savage. A shout out to Stuart Gunter (drummer) who had to work and couldn't make it. We missed you Stuart!

LAST WEEK, I wrote about a few celebs who called West Virginia home — at one point or another — before their time in the sun arrived.

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing an artist who grew up here in Morgantown and may one day very well make that list.

Since releasing her five-song EP, “Now I Know” earlier this year, Ashley McMillen has had a tough time believing, and keeping up with, all the attention it’s garnered in her current homebase of Charlottesville, Va., and beyond.

Most recently, she said Red Light Management — a company that works with the Dave Matthews Band, Faith Hill and Alicia Keys — has shown an interest. She also often makes the rounds at the city’s radio stations and steadily books gigs around town. All this makes staying on top of emails and voicemails tough sometimes. But it’s a happy problem for the singer/songwriter — whose country-inspired material has earned her comparisons to legend Emmylou Harris — to have.

Though some in the business attempted to dissuade her, the 30-yearold writes songs specific to her experiences, including a pair of heartfelt records paying tribute to her parents — “Now I Know” and “Momma.” As she points out, country is, more than most, a genre known for its ties to roots and family, two things McMillen is proud to share with the world.

While it’s been a number of years since she’s lived in the Mountain State, McMillen said the time away has only deepened her feelings for her old stomping grounds and made her appreciate the network of family and friends she has here more. She’s even written a song paying homage to it, and one day hopes to play the tune back in her home city.

So far, it’s been a matter of logistics and cost that have kept her away. A five-piece band (which includes a fellow West Virginian, Bahlmann Abbot, on pedal steel) traveling five hours on the road isn’t cheap, and neither is securing a venue; but, McMillen assures she will be back. Until then, check her out on her website at ashleymcmillen.com and expect a more in-depth article to appear in the Marquee section soon.